Workshop tool · Free

The interactive circle of fifths for guitarists

The circle of fifths puts the 12 major keys and their relative minors on one wheel, so you can see at a glance how keys and chords relate. This interactive version goes further: click a key and it gives you the key signature, the seven chords of the key with Roman numerals, the neighbouring keys and the chords songs most often borrow. It is for guitarists who want to find chords that work together, transpose, or understand why a progression sounds right.

Included in the free account.

Try it free

What the interactive circle shows

The wheel has two rings: the 12 major keys outside (C, G, D, A, E, B, F♯, D♭, A♭, E♭, B♭, F, clockwise from the top) and their relative minors inside (Am, Em, Bm and so on). A Major / Minor switch decides whether you work in the major key or its relative minor.

Click a key and the tool shows:

its key signature: how many sharps or flats it has;
the chords in the key, from I to vii° in major or i to VII in minor, coloured by function (tonic, subdominant, dominant, leading tone) on the wheel;
the neighbours and common borrowings: the relative key, the two neighbouring keys and three borrowed chords that sound natural in that key;
a link to see the scale on the neck, which opens the first four chords of the key in the scales tool.

In composer mode you also build a progression chord by chord on the wheel, with suggestions for the next chord, extensions (7, maj7, 9, sus, add9...) and a guitar diagram for each chord.

How to read the circle of fifths

Moving one step clockwise on the circle of fifths goes up a perfect fifth (C to G) and adds one sharp. Moving one step anticlockwise goes up a fourth (C to F) and adds one flat. That is all you need to read every key signature: G has 1 sharp (F♯), D has 2, A has 3, E has 4; F has 1 flat (B♭), B♭ has 2, E♭ has 3.

Each major key shares its notes with the minor key three semitones below it, its relative minor: C and Am, G and Em, D and Bm. That is why the inner ring sits right under the outer one.

Three neighbours make a key. The diatonic chords of a key are all within one step of it on the circle. In G major the chords are G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F♯dim: the major chords G, C and D are the key and its two neighbours, and the minor chords Am, Em and Bm are their relatives. On the guitar, G, C, D and Em are four open chords, which is why so many songs are in G.

Anticlockwise is the direction of resolution. The strongest move in tonal music is dominant to tonic, one step anticlockwise: D to G, G to C. A ii-V-I in C (Dm, G, C) is simply D, G, C, three adjacent steps.

Composing, transposing and modulating with the circle

Borrowed chords. For a major key, the tool lists the iv, ♭VII and ♭VI chords borrowed from the parallel minor. In C that is Fm, B♭ and A♭. Try C, A♭, B♭, C: a classic rock ending. This is modal interchange in practice.
Smooth key changes. Two neighbouring keys differ by a single note. Going from C to G only changes F to F♯, so a modulation to a neighbour sounds natural; a jump across the circle (C to F♯) sounds dramatic.
Transposing. To move a song from G to A, every chord moves two steps clockwise on the wheel: G, C, D, Em becomes A, D, E, F♯m.

To find ready-made progressions in every style, open the chord progressions library.

What is free and what needs Premium

A free GuitarHarmony account opens the workshop; the circle runs in your browser on computer, tablet or phone, with nothing to install.

Free (view mode): the full wheel with all major and minor keys, key signatures, relative minors, the chords of each key with Roman numerals and functions, neighbouring keys, borrowed chords, and the link to the scale on the neck.

Composer mode: building a progression step by step on the circle, with extensions, quick starts (I-V-vi-IV, ii-V-I, I-vi-IV-V, the full cycle of fourths...) and guitar diagrams for your progression. It comes with Premium (4.90 € a month or 39 € a year) or as a one-off module, the Circle composer, for 6.90 € with lifetime access.

How to use it

Pick a key on the wheel. Click the outer ring of a sector to make it the key. The key name and its signature appear, and the chords of the key light up on the wheel.
Choose major or minor. Use the Major / Minor switch next to the wheel to work in the major key or in its relative minor.
Read the chords in the key. The Chords in the key card lists the seven chords with Roman numerals. Below it, Neighbours & common borrowings gives the relative key, the neighbouring keys and borrowed chords.
See it on the guitar. Click See the scale on the neck to open the key in the scales tool, or, in composer mode, add chords to your progression and see their guitar diagrams.

What you can do with it

Finding chords that work with a melody

Your melody is in D major. Click D: the chords D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯dim are your palette, and Bm is the relative minor for a sadder section.

Writing a bridge

Your verse is in C. Look at the borrowed chords Fm, B♭ and A♭, or move to the neighbour G major for a bridge that lifts without sounding foreign.

Learning key signatures for reading

Click around the wheel and say each signature before you look: G one sharp, D two, F one flat, B♭ two. A few minutes a day is enough to know them all.

Frequently asked questions

How do you use the circle of fifths on guitar?

Pick the key of your song on the wheel: its neighbours and their relative minors give you the chords that belong to the key. In G that is G, C, D, Em, Am and Bm, most of which are open chords on the guitar.

How do I find the relative minor of a key?

It is the inner ring under each major key, three semitones below the major tonic: Am for C, Em for G, Dm for F. Both keys share the same notes and key signature.

Is the circle of fifths tool free?

Yes, the full wheel with keys, signatures, chords and neighbours is free with a free account. Composer mode, which builds a progression on the circle, needs Premium or the Circle composer module (6.90 €, one-off).

Why are some keys shown with sharps and others with flats?

The wheel uses the usual spelling: sharp keys clockwise from G to F♯, flat keys anticlockwise from F to D♭. F♯ and G♭ are the same key on the guitar, written two ways.